The Knight and her Princess
by Skye.Winter
Summary: Little Quinn, a child of the streets with a hero complex, rescued Little Princess Rachel from being kidnapped. When offered a reward, she told the King that she wanted to be a knight. This story tells of Quinn's journey into knighthood and her relationship with the Princess that she had sworn to protect at all costs as her guardian, her friend, and maybe more? Faberry AU
1. Chapter 1

AN: Dear All. Thank you for taking the time to read my first foray into fanfiction. I have always been a big Faberry fan and have read countless of amazing Faberry fanfiction that sooner or later I knew that I would have to give it go too.

This is a light fanfic based in an Alternate Universe (AU) and the characters are somewhat similar to what we see on Glee but I can't promise anything yet since this story-line actually crept up on me when I was trying to think of what to write for an original fiction story. I'm not even sure where this would go as this fanfic seems to have a life of its own.

I look forward to reading your reviews and constructive criticism as English is not my first language.

And now, without further ado, I present to you, "The Knight and her Princess"

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**Chapter 1: The Little Knight and her Little Princess**

It was a busy day at the marketplace. Merchants and craftsmen were calling out to the commoners to buy their wares. Fruit sellers hollered out their fresh fruits for sale. Enticing smells of freshly baked bread and pies wafted through the air, contrasting with the strong smells of animals, sweat, and earth.

A little blonde girl dashed across the muddy road, narrowly avoiding being trampled over by a horse. Slipping into an alleyway, she leaned against the wall to catch her breath, occasionally peeking around the corner. Feeling for a roll of bread in the right pocket of her grubby trousers, she crouched down and bit into the roll moaning at the delicious taste of the still warm bread. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, evidence of her exertion from earlier on when she and her partner in crime sprinted away from a bellowing baker who had been robbed off three loaves of bread, a roll and a small hunk of cheese. A quick exchange of looks was all that was needed between the two little street urchins before they split up and disappeared into the crowd.

The girl used the sleeve of her tunic two sizes too large for her, to wipe away her sweat. She will be meeting her partner at their hideout when the sun goes down to divvy up the food. Although her loot was considerably smaller (her partner was the one who made off with the three loaves), it was her who acted as a decoy since her partner had poor control over her social skills. The baker had a fondness for pretty little girls and while she played the wide-eyed innocent little lost girl, her partner managed to steal the loaves of bread and when the baker finally realized and turned to pursue her partner, the little girl managed to grab whatever food that was at hand and sprinted off.

Grinning at her success, she allowed her gaze to wander around the alleyway, coming to a halt on a pile of discarded wood on the opposite wall across from her. Certain that her pursuer had given up the chase, she let her guard down and stood up, slipping her half eaten roll back into her pocket. Grabbing her newsboy hat from her back pocket as she made her way to the pile of wood, she positioned it on her head, concealing her fair hair.

Whistling softly, she rummaged among the pile and let out a small squeal of delight when she found a piece of wood with a length and width that was to her liking. Swinging it this way and that like a make-believe sword she began to softly recite her favorite story.

"The fearless knight drew his sword as he entered the cave, feeling the dragon's gaze upon him waiting to strike"

She gripped the end of the piece of wood with two hands, staring down the alley at her imaginary foe. Oh, the dragon was crafty, hiding himself behind that pile of rubbish but she could imagine his tail sticking out, twitching with excitement. She slowly crept up to the pile of rubbish, out of the dragon's sight. If she was going to be able to rescue the princess in time, she would have to kill the dragon as fast as possible. Just as she was about to launch her attack,

"HELP! HEL-"

A scream for help that was cut off, stopped her in mid swing. She looked around to pinpoint the source of the cry and realized that it was coming from over the wall at the end of the alley. Imaginary dragon forgotten, she hurried over to the wall, scrambling up to the top and peeked over the ledge.

A man with his back facing the wall was clutching a struggling little brunette girl who looked to be about her age. A grimy hand was over the brunette's mouth to prevent her from calling for help again.

"Lookee here young miss. Ye better stop yer wailin' if you don't want tha' big nose of yers to be broken eh?"

The brunette girl struggled free from his hand covering her mouth and turned her head to glare up at the man.

"The King will have your _head_ once he captures you and charges you for treason and kidnapping" she growled.

The man threw back his head with a loud "Hah!" and slapped his hand over the little girl's mouth again, crushing her back to his chest to prevent her from struggling further.

"The King?! 'By the time 'e sends out a search party, ye would be on yer way ter another kingdom! Now, quit yer strugglin while we wait for my friend ter check tha' the coast is clear"

The blonde girl perched on the ledge rolled her eyes. As if the brunette would obey the kidnapper's orders! She nodded with respect as the brunette struggled even harder and bit the man's hand that was covering her mouth, drawing blood.

The man let out a yelp of pain and roughly turned the brunette to face him and slapped her hard across the face. The brunette gasped at the shock of the impact and looked up at the man with fear in her eyes. But, facing him gave her a full view of what was behind him and her eyes widened when she saw a blonde girl perched on the wall behind him, with a finger to her mouth signaling at her to keep quiet and a thumbs up, indicating that she had a plan. The brunette gave a slight nod of understanding and before the amazed eyes of the blonde, she transformed into a brave little girl to a weepy, sniveling mess.

"P...please let me go sir," cried the brunette, sobbing to distract her kidnapper from the girl behind him.

The man smirked with delight as he watched his victim give up in her attempts to escape. Unknowingly behind him, the blonde girl was loosening a brick from the old wall of her perch. Finding the brick to be off suitable weight, she slipped her wooden stick through her worn out belt to free her other hand and raised the brick above her head. With a huge heave she threw the brick down at the man's head with as much strength as she could muster. The force coupled with gravity and luck knocked the man out cold by the time his body had hit the floor.

The brunette gazed wide-eyed at her fallen kidnapper, her mouth o-shaped in surprise. Her gaze switched to her blonde heroine who had leaped down from her perch and proceeded to squat down and rummage through the man's pockets, pocketing a silver coin she found and shaking her head in disbelief at the lack of weapons he had on his person.

The still shaken brunette prepared to thank the blonde for rescuing her but took a step back when the girl stood up and finally made eye contact with her. Hazel eyes bored into her own chocolate ones as they appraised each other taking in each other's state of dress and stance. The blonde smirked as she took in the frills and laces on the dress of the brunette.

"What?" asked the brunette self-consciously, forgetting her attempt to thank her rescuer.

"You can't walk around out here dressed that way miss" said the blonde smiling at her.

"_Excuse me_?" said the brunette mildly insulted on behalf of her best friend Kurt who had suggested the dress in the first place.

The blonde shrugged.

"Don't you own a cloak or something? That dress is practically displaying your riches for everyone else to see and take advantage off" she said indicating towards the fallen man behind her.

"Oh... oh well I did. I mean I did have a cloak but I left it behind with my... my nanny when I decided to...explore"

For the first time in her life the brunette was scrambling for words to explain herself to the mysterious girl before her, blushing at her sudden ineptness of speech.

Rolling her eyes at the thought of the brunette still having a nanny, the blonde dropped her easygoing expression when she saw that the brunette's hands were shaking. The blonde felt concerned since it was obvious that the brunette has never been out on her own before.

"Are you badly hurt?"

The brunette blinked at the change in manner of the blonde.

"Um... well my cheek is rather sore from where he slapped me" said the brunette shyly.

She took a sharp intake of breath when the blonde suddenly invaded her space and gently lifted up her chin to survey her face with serious hazel eyes. She noted with a little annoyance that the girl was already taller than her despite their similar age, whose blonde hair was sticking out from underneath her hat. Even though there was dirt smeared on the blonde's face and clothes, she could tell that the blonde was already very pretty.

A low whistle snapped her out of her musings as the blonde let go of her face and looked thoughtfully at her.

"What? What?"

The blonde shook her head still looking at thoughtfully at her face. The brunette felt confused. Is there something on her...oh no.

"Oh sweet heavens! Is it my _face_? Is it disfigured? Oh why did I decide to explore on my own! I should have never left Kurt with Miss Pillsbury. What am I going to tell Daddy?!"

The brunette began to ramble pacing back and forth, wringing her hands in despair.

The blonde was amused and started to giggle at the shorter girl.

The brunette swiveled around, hands on her hips, ready to reprimand her blonde savior.

"I do not appreciate your glee at my current plight. I'll have you know that when my Daddy finds out that my face has been scarred for life, he'll…"

"It's fine" chuckled the blonde. The brunette paused mid-rant.

"What?"

The blonde reached out and gently poked her cheek and the brunette winced at the pain that came with it.

"Your face-it's fine. It's just going to be bruised that's all"

Relief flooded through the brunette. Before she could say anything, the forgotten kidnapper let out a groan of pain, reminding the two girls of their current situation.

"Let's get out of here before he wakes up or his friend gets back" said the blonde girl dragging the brunette by her arm towards the wall that she had jumped down from. The brunette looked warily at the wall looming above her.

"How am I going to get up there?"

The blonde shrugged and got down on one knee and cupped her hands.

"I'll give you a boost"

The brunette hesitated. Never in her life has she done anything like this before! First she was kidnapped, and then rescued by this blonde girl, and now she was about to climb up a wall. Palace life was dull in comparison to this. Already distracted by this blonde, her hands had already stopped shaking.

"Are you sure?"

"Hurry up!"

The brunette tentatively placed her foot unto the blonde's waiting hands and squealed when the blonde gave her a boost over the wall.

"Oof _someone_'s heavy" said the blonde, her voice muffled by the brunette's dress in her face.

A gasp of outrage from above the blonde's head was heard.

"I am not heavy. How dare you…"

The blonde already having been exposed to the now familiar rants of the girl, grinned as she expertly tuned the girl out and took a couple of steps away from the wall.

"What are you…"

The blonde took off with a sprint towards the wall and launching herself with her left leg, managed to scramble up the wall, getting a grip on the ledge and pulling herself up. The look of wonder she received from the brunette perched beside her tempted her to jump down and repeat the stunt again that was taught to her by her partner Santana. Winking at the brunette, she dropped down lightly on the other side of the wall and waited for the brunette to join her. After a little hesitance the brunette jumped down from the ledge albeit a little less graceful than the blonde but it was a start, the blonde nodded with approval.

"So, what's your name?" asked the brunette curiously as they made their way down the alleyway.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at her question.

"What's yours?" she asked back.

The brunette hesitated for a moment.

"Rachel. My name is Rachel"

Rachel. The blonde mulled over her name for a moment before nodding with acceptance.

"Interesting"

"What? Why?" said Rachel suddenly nervous. Did the blonde recognize her name and realized who she was?

"I thought your name would be something else. Like… Tiny," said the blonde smiling cheekily back at her.

She made a face at the nickname, while considering giving one of her infamous speeches in defense of her height. Surely, one must know that one should not judge someone's height when they are just ten years of age.

"I happen to still be growing. After all, I am only 10 years old" said Rachel in a know-it-all tone.

"Ahh" said the blonde, nodding sagely.

"What?" asked Rachel, annoyed.

"We are of the same age and yet," the blonde indicated at their height difference where she was at least half a head taller than Rachel, "I am taller."

"You'll have a lot of catching up to do," she continued, patting Rachel on the head.

Rachel huffed and tried to change the subject. She was still shaken from her near kidnapping attempt and was not mentally prepared to debate on the subject of height with the blonde.

"You still haven't told me your name yet," she pointed out.

The blonde gave her a contemplative look before giving her such a pretty smile that nearly knocked the breath out of Rachel.

"Quinn. My name is Quinn."

**End of Chapter 1**


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Thank you so much for all the reviews! All of you have made me so happy. I was really surprise to see how international the Faberry fan base was based on the statistics on which countries readers were from. The chapters are still rough around the edges and eventually I will come back to edit them but for now, I'm trying to get the story out there as fast as possible. Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2: I want to become a Knight**

"So where are we going now?" asked Rachel curiously, pausing in the alleyway as Quinn stuck her head out to survey the scene outside. No angry bakers? Check. No creepy potential kidnappers? Check.

"Well, your friend and caretaker must be out looking for you. The best place for them to find you would be somewhere out in the open where they can easily spot you," replied Quinn, thinking hard. They will need a place with lots of people around in case that kidnapper shows up again.

She snapped her fingers when she finally thought of one.

"I got it. I'll take you to the fountain in the main square."

"The fountain?"

"Yup. It's really the best place to be found if you're lost," said Quinn smiling, thinking back to the time when Santana found her at the fountain 3 years ago.

"But first…" Quinn circled around Rachel with a thoughtful expression on her face.

She took off her newsboy hat and placed it on top of the Rachel's head. It was already too big on her but on the brunette, it was bigger and the hat kept slipping forward over her face. Next, she shrugged off her vest and gave it to Rachel to wear over her dress. It wasn't much but at least the hat would hide Rachel's face and the vest would make that ridiculous dress look less conspicuous. Quinn wrinkled her nose. Nothing would make that dress inconspicuous enough. How could Rachel ever subject herself to wearing that?!

Meanwhile, Rachel was obedient in accepting the articles of clothing, picking up on the fact that Quinn was attempting to disguise her. Her dress was already in a state of no return from her previous struggles with her kidnapper and scaling the wall. Kurt would have a heart attack when he sees her. But, she can deal with the thought of Kurt later. Right now, she was intrigued by her blonde heroine that came out of nowhere like an angel and rescued her from the evil man.

"Come on," said Quinn taking her by her hand and pulled her along.

The sights, sounds and smells all seemed to have faded into the background as Rachel focused on the comforting warmth of the blonde's hand and allowed herself to be dragged around corners, across muddy roads until they reached the fountain.

"Here we are!" said Quinn plopping herself on the edge of the fountain, letting go of the Rachel's hand to dip her own hands into the cool water collecting at the base of the fountain.

Rachel immediately felt the loss of Quinn's warm hand and sat down next to the blonde, swinging her legs idly, looking at the hustle and bustle around her, trying to distract herself from the loss. 'Quinn was right' thought Rachel as she looked aroung. There was no way Kurt or Miss Pillsbury or the guards or her Daddy could miss her. She winced when she imagined the scolding she would be receiving tonight.

"Hey"

Rachel yelped in surprise when she was splashed in the face with cold water. Quinn tilted her head back with laughter at the sight of the soaked girl with her ill-fitting hat. She was so busy laughing that she missed the glint in Rachel's eyes and was unprepared when the girl leaned over and pushed her into the fountain. The blonde surfaced spluttering and choking from inhaling the water while Rachel laughed until tears came out from her eyes. Quinn took a moment to stare, noticing how pretty the laughing brunette was, until she reached over and pulled the vulnerable brunette into the fountain with her.

She grinned as Rachel surfaced next to her coughing out water, the both of them sitting side by side in the fountain. Quinn snagged her hat that was floating away and placed it back soaking wet on the brunette's head. She giggled as the hat slipped down over the Rachel's eyes. The brunette huffed with mock impatience and pushed the hat back up to look at the blonde.

"You..."

"There she is!"

Quinn stood up when she saw a burly man barreling towards them with a few men following behind him. She remembered her wooden stick and drew it from her belt and stepped in front of Rachel. Her heart sank when she saw the man drawing out his sword and pointed it at them. A crowd had gathered around them to witness the action.

"Rachel," murmured Quinn quietly."I need you to run. Find someone our age and ask them to lead you to Santana. Tell her that Lucy Q sent you and to watch out for you until I get back."

She gripped her stick harder and glared at the man. She'll find the time later to feel pathetic about facing an armed man with a wooden stick. She would find her way out of this mess one way or another and after that, she's going to have a talk with Rachel regarding the issue of having strange men trying to kidnap her.

"Rachel. Did you hear me?" Asked Quinn a little louder this time when Rachel did not respond. Poor girl, she must be traumatized from being a victim of attempted kidnapping twice in one day. She didn't dare take her eyes off the approaching armed man but when she heard Rachel moving closer to her rather than running away, she spared a glance to her left.

Instead of seeing a cowering girl, her jaw dropped at the sight of her new friend hiking up that god-awful dress above her knees and wading forward to stand in front of her. Quinn could see that she wasn't the only one taken by surprise when she saw the men with similar gaping looks at their faces as they stared at the little brunette standing before them with her hands on her hips.

"Put down your sword," said the girl imperiously.

Quinn blinked and made a mental note to herself that on top of having that talk with Rachel about kidnappers, she would need to teach her that people-especially people with swords-do not simply obey commands especially when they come from little girls.

The man with the sword made no motion to put away his sword and was staring at Rachel as if she had grown wings.

"Oooh," Rachel let out a growl of frustration and stomped her foot, inadvertently drenching Quinn with fountain water.

Wiping water away from her eyes, Quinn opened her mouth to call Rachel back when a clatter of horses announced the arrival of a new group to add to the already growing crowd.

"Rachel!"

A voice shrieked from amongst the riders and Quinn saw a little boy slipped off a horse, avoiding the grasp of the red-headed woman that was sharing the horse with him, and ran towards their direction.

Rachel turned at the sound of the boy's voice and squealed with delight, abandoning her post in front of Quinn and waded her way out of the fountain and flung herself dramatically into the boy's arms.

"Oh Kurt! You found me!" cried Rachel into the boy's shoulder. Quinn snorted at the display and was tempted to correct Rachel seeing as there was such a big group of people with Kurt that he would have hardly played a role in searching for Rachel. She on the other hand, had defeated a grown man and she highly doubted that Kurt could've done the same.

Kurt returned Rachel's a hug but immediately wrinkled his nose at her wet state.

"What happened? Miss Pillsbury almost had a panic attack when we found out that you had slipped away. She has been brushing Barbra's mane the entire time we were searching for you!" Kurt whisper-shouted at Rachel, holding her at arm's length, taking in the spoiled state of her dress and the ill-fitting hat she had on her head.

Rachel launched into the account of her adventure and while Kurt was listening enraptured, Quinn had her attention on another man that had dismounted from his horse. Tall, dark and handsome would be an accurate way to describe him. Quinn noted the way he carried himself, tall and regal, his cloak swishing in the wind as he strode towards Rachel, ignoring the mud dirtying his boots. Kurt saw him approaching from behind Rachel and immediately got down on one knee.

"Your Majesty," he said bowing his head.

Quinn blinked at the title and looked around. She realized that the crowd that had gathered around them were sinking to their knees and bowing their heads just like Kurt. Even the man with the sword and his men were on their knees.

She let her hands fall to her side, stick still in hand (just in case). The King is here… the King?! What was the King doing here?! Is Rachel really in that much trouble that the King himself had to make an appearance? She frowned with worry. She wasn't sure when she decided it but protecting Rachel had become her priority. She blamed it on her hero-complex, a habit that annoyed Santana to no end especially when Quinn comes back beaten and bruised from playing hero. But protecting Rachel from the King was going to be a lot harder than knocking out a grimy man with a brick.

Quinn looked towards an unmoving Rachel who had frozen when Kurt knelt down. The King was now standing behind Rachel and Rachel had begun to fidget with her hands. To Quinn's frustration, she was too far away to leap to Rachel's defense.

"Rachel," said the King in a deep voice and, to Quinn's surprise, an expression of worry.

Rachel finally turned around to face the King, her back now towards Quinn and stood trembling before him. Watching the little girl trembling in the King's shadow, Quinn could not take it any longer and began to wade through the fountain water to get to Rachel.

The King looked up and down at Rachel, taking in Rachel's wet form and saw that there were no serious injuries. Relief flooded his features and he dropped to his knees and enveloped Rachel in a bone-crushing hug. For the second time that day, Quinn felt her jaw drop as she was clambering out of the fountain and paused midway.

"I'm so so sorry Daddy," wailed Rachel with deep remorse, "I just wanted to see what it was like. Kurt had no interest and Miss Pillsbury did not even bother to look around! She kept saying that everything was too filthy and I really wanted to see more. Everything looked so interesting and there were so many people! They weren't very nice though especially when one of them tried to kidnap me. I tried calling for help but the smelly man covered my mouth with his hand and I bit him but then he slapped me Daddy! It really, really hurt and I was really scared but luckily Quinn was there to save me, Daddy! She threw a brick at the ugly man after he slapped me and we climbed a wall to escape from him and she lent me her hat and vest to disguise me and she figured that all of you would be able to find me if we came to the fountain and she was right! And I…I... Daddy? Daddy?"

The King's face had become a thundercloud of anger the moment Rachel mentioned the kidnapper.

"Where did this happen?" He asked in a quiet, menacing tone.

"In an alley near the butcher's shop. But Daddy, I…"

The King held up a hand to silence her. With the same hand he motioned for someone in his escort to come over. A tall lady in armor with short blonde hair strode forward and came to a stop beside the King and Rachel.

"My Lord," she said with a curt voice.

The King rose up and told Rachel to recount the kidnapping incident. The lady listened attentively with no change in her expression and once Rachel was done telling her the details about the location, she nodded with affirmation and strode off towards the group of men at the fountain and began to bark orders at them, presumably to investigate the scene of the attempted kidnaping and to search for the kidnapper.

"Tell me more about this 'Quinn'" said the King.

Rachel clapped her hands with delight and turned to call Quinn over.

"Quinn! C'mere! I want you to meet my Daddy"

Quinn felt everyone's attention shifted unto her and felt very self-conscious. She slowly made her way over to Rachel and the King and yelped in surprise when Rachel shot out her hand and dragged Quinn to stand next to her.

"Quinn, this is my Daddy, King LeRoy. Daddy, this is Quinn my.." Rachel paused trying to find the right word to describe her rescuer. Well, her Daddy had Sue to protect him so Rachel figured that Quinn could be her 'Sue' then. "My knight," she said resolutely.

King LeRoy hummed in amusement and Quinn looked up hesitantly and immediately switched to looking at the ground when she made eye contact with him. What should she do in the presence of royalty? That Kurt boy and everyone else kneeled and addressed him as 'Your Majesty' so she guessed she would do the same.

As she made the motion to kneel, she stopped halfway when the King held out his hand to shake hers.

"Thank you for rescuing my daughter. The kingdom and I are truly grateful," he said, his hand still held out.

Quinn gaped at his hand and only took it when Rachel gave her a nudged.

"I..I..um..it...you're.. welcome?" stuttered Quinn at a lost for words "Your Majesty," she added hurriedly.

"What would you like as a reward young Quinn? Note that as King, I have the power to grant anything that you would like" said King LeRoy smiling gently.

The reward offer hit Quinn like a ton of bricks. A reward from the King. Anything that she wanted. Quinn bit her lower lip and thought hard. There are plenty of things that she wanted. An endless supply of bacon… Quinn shook her head at that ridiculous thought and took a more rational route. A place to stay, warm food, security, money, the list could go on. Santana could come live with her too and any of their friends that would need help. But then she has a lot of friends who do need help. Quinn frowned at that thought and a brilliant idea came to her, one that could solve all those issues.

"I would like a place big enough to provide food, shelter and help for children in need, children of the streets like me" said Quinn nervously. "Your Majesty," she added again.

To say that King LeRoy was surprised at that request was an understatement. His heart melted at the sight of the little blonde girl standing in front of him making such a noble request that few adults would've made if placed in the same situation.

"Done," nodded the King. Quinn smiled in relief.

"But, that was for the children of the streets. What about you Quinn? What do you want for yourself?" he continued, searching the girls face for her answer.

Quinn bit her lip again and thought back to when Rachel introduced her to the King and the admiration she felt when she saw the blonde lady knight striding about, issuing orders on behalf of the King.

Feeling the tug on her heartstrings, Quinn decided to follow her heart and held her head high, opened her mouth and stated her request.

"I would like to become a knight, Your Majesty."

**End of Chapter 2**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hi all. I just wanted to say thank you for all the reviews so far! They are all so encouraging and really motivate me to write more, so keep them coming :)**

**Chapter 3: I Say a Little Prayer for You**

"_I would like to become a knight, Your Majesty"_

Rachel felt like swooning for the second time in that hour. Quinn had been nothing but swoon-worthy since the moment she rescued Rachel from the kidnapper. When Quinn had stepped in front of her and told her to run while she confronted the guard with merely a wooden stick, Rachel did not respond and couldn't move because she was just overwhelmed with adoration for the blonde girl who had just became her friend that day and was already ready to risk her life for Rachel.

Rachel looked on as King LeRoy smiled with interest at Quinn's answer. Once again he beckoned Sue or Lady Sue Sylvester, Commander of the Royal Guard, Knight of the King, to come over. When she did, she came to a stop next to Quinn and Rachel did not miss the gleam of admiration in Quinn's eyes as they took in Sue's impressive armor and sword. Sue on the other hand, did not spare Quinn a glance but stood at attention, waiting for the King's orders.

"Lady Sue," said the King. "This young lady here has voiced her intention of becoming a knight. I would like your opinion as she has already proven to me her courage from facing down the kidnapper and also by holding her ground with just a stick when facing one of your guards."

Sue and Quinn turned to face each other and looked at each other appraisingly. Rachel looked on nervously at the two blondes and clutched at Kurt's hand tightly when he came to stand beside her.

"Name and age?" barked Sue.

"Quinn, ten years old," replied Quinn maintaining eye contact with Sue despite her stern looking face.

"Pah, only a child. I've seen bigger dogs than you. And you dare believe that you can handle one of these?" sneered Sue, patting her broadsword.

Quinn was silent for a moment and then replied with a grin.

"Yes. A good friend of mine once told me, I'm still just 10 years old after all. I am still growing," she said, glancing at Rachel, giving her a wink.

Rachel grinned back unsure whether to be excited over the fact that Quinn had actually paid attention to her rambles and quoted her, or the fact that Quinn called her a good friend. Kurt looked back and forth between the two girls with a look of suspicion on his face.

Sue nodded begrudgingly acknowledging the guts that Quinn had to answer back while stronger men would've just shivered in their shoes.

"Can you read or write?" continued Sue, beginning to pace back and forth, not expecting a useful answer from this street urchin.

"Yes," came the reply.

Sue paused mid - stride and turned on her heel and stalked back to Quinn.

"Repeat your answer"

"Yes I can read and write my lady."

"That's Commander to you kid. Only the King calls me Lady. The last person who called me Lady was made to run laps backwards until he collapsed and was woken up to start his laps all over again."

Quinn blinked at that statement and looked towards Rachel for validation and saw her and Kurt and even the King nodding sagely at the commander's declaration.

"Yes Commander," Quinn replied quickly.

"Good. Now tell me kid, when did you learn how to read and write in this part of town? Do not lie to me. I can spot a lie a mile away" asked Sue suspiciously.

"I don't remember," said Quinn truthfully.

"You don't remember? Could you perhaps be a runaway from a noble's house? What is your family name?"

"I don't know Commander. When Santana found me at this fountain 3 years ago I had already lost all of my memories by then. I only remembered my name and found out that I could read and write when I tried," said Quinn unflinchingly.

Rachel gasped. Poor Quinn! It must be awful to not know anything about your own past or even remember your own family.

Sue took some time to observe Quinn to see if she was lying but seeing no sign of falsehood, Sue nodded in acceptance.

"I'm going to be honest with you kid. The road to becoming a knight is a hard one; even harder with me as your commander and you being a female. Becoming a knight would mean that you have forsaken the gentle life of a lady. There is no special treatment based on gender in my camp. In fact, you will be scorned by most men that you train with. You will be waking up early for drills and exercises that would have you vomiting from fatigue every day. At night you will be receiving lessons as I require all my knights to have at least a basic education. My word is law, my punishments are harsh and my expectations are unachievable by all except a few. Do you think you can handle this?" asked Sue seriously, crouching down to look at Quinn eye to eye.

"Yes," said Quinn.

"You are sure?"

Quinn looked on steadily.

"Santana once told me once that only the strong will survive and the weak shall die. I know that that is true and I see that happening every day. I hope to change that. The strong will survive but they will protect the weak. If I become a knight, I will be strong to protect those in need."

Sue smirked.

"Ahh a champion for the helpless eh? That is very noble of you to think like that. We shall see if you still hold true to your ideal after I'm done with you," she said and stood up from her crouch. She nodded towards the King.

"Your Majesty, I accept this child as one of my charges"

King Leroy tilted his head in acknowledgement and Sue turned back to Quinn.

"I will meet you at the castle gates tomorrow in the morning. Speak to the guards and tell them that you are under my charge. Pack lightly as food, clothes and accommodation will be provided."

"Yes Commander," said Quinn.

Sue turned and headed back to her horse. When she passed the man that had drawn his sword at Quinn, she began to bark orders at him.

"Tanaka, take your men and assist the others in searching for the kidnapper."

"Right away Commander," said Tanaka saluting Sue and he led his men away from the fountain.

While the rest were watching them leave, Rachel left Kurt's side and sidled over to Quinn.

"Hi," She said smiling at Quinn who was looking a little dazed.

"Did that really just happen?" asked Quinn.

"Yup! You're going to become a knight now Quinn. You'll be living on the castle grounds and we will be able to see each other all the time now! I will introduce you to everyone and you can teach me that really neat trick to climb up a wall and you can show me everything you've learned from Commander Sue and.. and… a knight Quinn! You're gonna be a knight!" squealed Rachel clasping Quinn's hand and Quinn got caught up with the enthusiastic energy of the brunette and both of them began squealing and jumping up and down.

King LeRoy looked at the pair fondly and started to head back to his horse.

"Rachel, Kurt, it's time to go," he said.

Kurt followed behind him while Rachel was still clasping Quinn's hand in her own, reluctant to go. Quinn nudged her.

"So, should I call you Princess Rachel now?"

Rachel turned to look at Quinn, aghast that the blonde would suggest such a thing. Suddenly, the title 'Princess' Rachel sounded so stuffy to her.

"Heavens, no. No 'princess' please."

Quinn chuckled and then shivered. The sun had begun to set and the air was getting chilly and her wet clothes weren't helping at all.

"Oh here," said Rachel shrugging of the vest and handing it back to Quinn. Quinn took it back and put it on while Rachel reached to take off her hat as well.

"It's alright, you can keep the hat," said Quinn.

Rachel smiled with delight. A souvenir to remember today! The day she met Quinn. She put the hat back on and instinctively pushed it back up before it fell over her face again.

"Rachel," called the King in a no-nonsense tone.

Rachel was already missing Quinn and she hasn't even left her yet. She threw her arms around Quinn and gave her a big hug.

"Thank you for saving me today Quinn. I don't care what other people say, I already think of you as a knight. My knight."

Quinn smiled proudly at that statement and hugged Rachel back.

"And you're my tiny princess," said Quinn.

Rachel laughed, not even offended anymore by that term and let go of Quinn.

"Goodbye Quinn. I'll see you soon"

She knew better than to test her daddy's patience, especially when they were in public. He is the King after all. She walked over to the waiting entourage, pausing every other step to wave goodbye. When she was sitting on her horse again, and the entourage began to leave, she spared another look behind her, at Quinn. She saw Quinn standing on top of the fountain's edge waving back at her.

"I'll see you soon Tiny!" Quinn shouted, loud enough for Rachel to hear her. Rachel laughed and gave a final wave as Quinn grew smaller and smaller until she was out of sight.

Quinn hopped down from the fountain's edge and began to head back to her and Santana's hideout. Quinn rubbed her arms to counter the cold breeze. Explaining today's events and consequences to Santana was going to be interesting.

Oxoxoxoxoxoxox

"So let me get this straight," said the fiery Latina, propping her elbows on the table to look closer at Quinn who was leaning back. The candle light between them flickered between them casting shadows over their face and yet illuminating their features, displaying the physical contrast between the two girls. While Quinn was fair, Santana was tan. Quinn's shaggy blonde hair fell above her shoulders while Santana's jet-black hair fell pass her shoulders. Quinn's hazel eyes met the Latina's dark ones that were currently filled with reproach.

"After we split up, you ended up rescuing a girl who turned out to be the princess of this kingdom from getting kidnapped by almost killing a man with a brick and you brought her to the fountain where the royal guards found her and there was a confrontation and the King was somehow involved and like a genie decided to grant you your heart's greatest desire, twice."

Quinn nodded warily, suspecting where this conversation was going.

"And you did not ask for gold, jewels, money, or land?"

Quinn nodded again bracing herself for the outburst.

"Mierde! What the hell Q?!" yelled Santana, slamming her palm onto the table. "We could've been living like royalty. Gorging on delicious food. Draping ourselves with diamonds and rubies! Ughhhhh!" groaned Santana with frustration, burying her face into her forearms on the table.

Quinn only kept quiet, staring at the flickering candle, waiting for Santana to calm down.

Eventually Santana sighed and looked up at Quinn, propping her chin on her forearm.

"We could be off the streets for good, living the life of luxury Q."

"You know me San. I couldn't just let this be just about us. Everyone will be better off now when that shelter is built," said Quinn quietly.

Santana let out a huff of resignation.

"I know Lucy Q. You did the right thing. But you can't always be looking out for other people. Who's gonna lookout after you when I'm not there? And now you're going off to be a knight just because you met some girl that you barely knew…"

"It's not because of Rachel, San,"

"Yeah, yeah," said Santana disbelievingly waving her hand at Quinn.

"You gave her your favorite hat, Q. You fought a boy twice your size when he stole it."

Quinn laughed, reminiscing the time she came back bloody, battered and bruised but holding her hat triumphantly. She had to stop Santana from running out to beat up the boy again. Needless to say, no kid who didn't know Quinn knew better than to touch her hat.

"She's pretty fun San. I think we're gonna be really good friends"

Santana snorted. Friends. Right. She may be 10 years old but she wasn't stupid. Quinn had always been the naive one amongst the both of them. For all the fairytale books that Quinn had been reading by 'borrowing' them from the bookshop around the corner, one would've thought that the blonde girl could sense the seeds of a potential crush being planted in her heart. It was terribly cliché really. Quinn meets a girl, saves said girl and it turns out that the girl was actually a princess and Quinn takes on the noble profession of becoming a knight. If only Quinn was a boy, then boy Quinn would probably end up marrying the princess and they would live happily ever after. The current issue now is that Santana could foresee a difficult road ahead for Quinn if she does fall for the princess.

Quinn mistook Santana's snort as a form of agreement and stood up to stretch.

"I think I'm going to try and catch some sleep San. Don't want to be late and make a bad first impression."

Santana got up as well and moved the candle aside before she and Quinn worked on pushing the table up against the wall. She grabbed an old blanket to cover the table and another one as Quinn clambered onto the table. She blew out the candle as she settled herself next to Quinn and covered the both of them with the second blanket. They had started to avoid sleeping on the floor because it got too cold at night. The table was becoming a tight squeeze since the both of them were growing but the bod warmth was worth it. Quinn was already curled on her side facing the wall while Santana faced the opposite side.

With their backs touching, each could feel the other breathing. There was some small movement on Quinn's side and Santana knew, without looking, that Quinn was fiddling with her cross necklace. It was the only valuable thing she had that was already on her when Santana had found her at the fountain.

"Hey San?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry that I'll be leaving you on your own."

Santana opened her eyes and stared into the darkness. She hated being alone. Santana's mother wherever she may be once told her that love can overcomes all obstacles. Well clearly it wasn't enough to make her stay back after she was ensured that Santana could survive without her at the age of 5, leaving her in the care of one of her friends who disappeared with the money that Santana's mother had left behind to cover the cost of Santana's upbringing. Before she found Quinn at the age of 7, fending for herself on the streets had made her streetwise and suspicious of everyone. Once she had found Quinn or more like noticed Quinn when she tripped over Quinn's semi-conscious state slumped against the edge of the fountain, for some reason she found it in her to help the blonde girl and nurse her back to health. Since then, the two of them were inseparable no matter how many fights they got into with each other. As much as Santana wanted Quinn to stay, she knew better than to hold Quinn back from a better life.

"You were always meant for better things Lucy Q. A life in the streets never suited you," said Santana softly. And then, she tried to lighten the mood.

"I mean, you barely managed to escape the baker today. What self-respecting street rat takes off with only a roll of bread and a hunk of cheese?"

Quinn gasped in protest.

"I was busy distracting him! Remember the last time you said that you could do a better job? We ended up…"

"Hey!" interrupted Santana, "How would I know that his sneaky assistant was hovering behind the counter out of sight?"

"Because you were too busy ogling at the gold necklace!" shot back Quinn.

"Pfft if you are gonna bring up ogling don't forget that one time at the butcher's shop when you almost got your fingers chopped off when you reached for the…"

"BACON!" cried the two girls out loud in unison and they both burst into giggles.

Santana smiled, happy that the heavy atmosphere was gone. Soon the two girl were recalling out loud all the mishaps and trouble that they got into together well into the night until they finally dozed off to sleep.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

(The Next Day)

Quinn and Santana walked side by side in silence in the direction of the castle. It was early in the morning and the sun had barely begun to rise. Santana could tell that Quinn was nervous from the way she couldn't stop fiddling with her necklace. Trying to lighten the mood, Santana began to hum a tune. Quinn quirked an eyebrow when she recognized the tune of the song that they both fell in love with when they overheard it being sung in a little pub one night. They could never fully grasp the meaning behind the lyrics of the songs sung in that particular pub called the New Directions but the songs that the little band performed were always catchy and a lot of fun to sing along to. Santana grinned at her and began to sing.

"_The moment I wake up_"

Quinn smiled and sang the second line.

"_Before I put on my makeup_"

"_I say a little prayer for you_," they both crooned together, both with big smiles on their faces.

"_While combing my hair now_," sang Santana flipping her hair behind one shoulder.

"_And wondering what dress to wear now_," continued Quinn, twirling around in an imaginary dress.

"_I say a little prayer for you_," they sang together, linking arms for the chorus.

"_Forever, and ever, you'll stay in my heart and I will love you_" sang Santana flung her free hand up to the sky.

"_Forever, and ever, we never will part. Oh, how I love you_" sang Quinn pointing at Santana.

"_Together, forever, that's how it must be, to live without you, would only mean heartbreak for me_," they finished together, grinning at each other.

"This is where we part Quinn," said Santana nodding in the direction of the castle gates that were already in sight.

Quinn turned to look at the castle, her new home and she pulled Santana into an embrace.

"Thank you San. For everything. For saving me all those years ago," said Quinn, her voice cracking as she felt tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oy, don't act like this is the last time we would be seeing each other. Being a knight-in-training does not make you a prisoner in the castle. Come visit me on your days off," said Santana hugging Quinn back just as tightly.

"Oh you know I will San! I'll miss you"

Santana gave Quinn one last squeeze before stepping back.

"I'll miss you too Lucy Q. You better go now. You don't want to be late on your first day," she said slowly backing away from Quinn.

Quinn nodded, knowing deep down inside that Santana was giving her all not to shed a single tear.

"Bye San," she said and turned away and slowly made her way up to the castle gates.

"Go and kick some ass Q!" yelled Santana, stopping Quinn in her tracks as Quinn turned around with an amused and yet scandalized expression on her face because of Santana's word choice. She waved at Santana who waved back before turning around and headed back down the street, not once looking back.

Quinn gritted her teeth and squared her shoulders as she marched purposefully towards the guards guarding the gates. When asked to state her purpose, she stood tall and said with a steady voice:

"My name is Quinn and I am one of the Commander's new charges to become a knight-in-training."

oxoxoxoxoxoxo

Meanwhile, a subdued Latina was walking down the streets with her hands in her pockets. She sniffed and wiped away her tears with her hand as she turned a corner and headed back to her hideout.

**End of Chapter 3**

**AN: Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Quinn's past will be explored further so have no fear.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hi all! There were many questions about Santana and I just wanted to tell you all (without spoiling anything) that she won't be out of the picture for long. Please continue to stay with the story to find out what's going to happen :) This story is becoming longer than I had expected.**

**Enjoy!**

**oxoxoxox**

**Chapter 4: Three Ways**

"_My name is Quinn and I am one of the Commander's new charges to become a knight-in-training."_

Quinn looked up at the guards and they stared down at her.

The guards exchanged glances and the older guard nodded at the younger one.

"The commander told me to take you to her when you get here so follow me," said the young guard motioning for Quinn to follow him. He led her to a tower and as they ascended the steps, Quinn could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

The guard rapped on the wooden door and a loud "Come in" was heard and he opened the door for Quinn to enter. As she walked past him, he whispered "Good luck," and winked before closing the door behind him.

When she entered the office, Quinn took the opportunity to look around. There was a shelf that reached to the ceiling containing an array of helmets, big and small, simple and elaborate. Along the walls were various shields bearing the crests of different houses and kingdoms.

"Admiring my trophies kid?"

Quinn whipped around to find the commander surveying her quietly.

"What you see adorning my walls and shelves are souvenirs of my victories. War is scarce in these peaceful times so I have to make do with tournaments, skirmishes, but we do have bandits and the occasional assassin or two," said Sue.

Quinn nodded in acknowledgement. She had heard of Commander Sue and her victories during her time in the streets.

"The King thought it beneficial to build this academy in order to raise the best of the best to keep the future of the kingdom in order. The reputation of this academy is great and people from across the land have sent their children here to learn. As one of my charges, your entire stay here is funded personally by the King until you graduate... If you can survive until then."

Quinn gulped and held her ground, clenching her fists to prevent her hands from visibly shaking.

"I expect a lot from you. I do not wish to be disappointed by your incompetence in this academy. As a knight apprentice, combat training will be in the mornings, healing and arts and etiquette lessons in the afternoons and academics in the evenings."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," barked Sue.

The door opened and in walked a blonde girl slightly taller than Quinn with bright blue eyes and an easy smile.

"Quinn, this is Brittany S. Pierce, healer and dancer in training. She will be responsible for being your guide until you've settled down," Sue paused and took a closer look at Quinn.

"Brittany."

"Yes Commander?"

"See to it that Quinn gets cleaned up."

"Yes Commander."

Quinn blushed at that statement, aware about her state of hygiene. The closest thing that she had to a bath in a while was the dip in the fountain yesterday and she only had the same clothes to wear. When one is living on the streets, bath commodities are hard to come by.

"Very well, you are dismissed. Brittany will give you the rest of the information you need."

Brittany saluted and started towards the door with Quinn following behind her.

"Quinn"

Quinn stopped to look back at Sue.

"Don't disappoint me."

Quinn nodded grimly and followed Brittany out. Shutting the door behind her, she fiddled with the hem of her shirt, nervous about interacting with Brittany. She was always shy in social settings and blamed yesterday's handling of events on adrenaline and Rachel, seeing how she was able to handle herself in front of a crowd and the King no less. Santana usually does the talking for the both of them in casual settings such as this one.

How should she start this conversation? She supposed a greeting would be a good start. _And then what_? She took a deep breath ready to introduce herself.

"Welcome Quinn!"

Quinn almost lost her balance when the taller blonde threw her arms around her with a big hug, squeezing the breath out of Quinn.

"Um… Thanks?" gasped Quinn.

Brittany released and took a step back, beaming at her.

"All of us heard about how you rescued the princess yesterday. Lord Tubbington overheard in the castle that you actually knocked out the kidnapper and that you are super good at climbing walls. He was busy chasing a mouse so he didn't hear the whole story so I can't wait to hear you tell it!"

Quinn wasn't sure what to say.

_Brittany is friends with a lord that chases mice?_

"S...sure"

Brittany squealed and clapped her hands together.

"Have you eaten yet? Morning lessons should be over soon and everyone is going to be having lunch in the hall."

While Quinn agonized over the decision of eating or not facing a group of strangers, her stomach did the answering for her and growled loudly. She blushed at the sound it made.

Brittany cocked her head to one side and grinned.

"Good answer. We'll get you cleaned up after lunch."

She linked arms with Quinn and proceeded to drag her towards the hall while pointing out random buildings and rooms and rattling out random information. Quinn stumbled along trying to keep pace with the happy blonde. She would have to explore later as she tried and failed to keep track of what the blonde was saying.

Santana would be so amused that Quinn's personal bubble was broken into within minutes.

As they entered the hall, Quinn was relieved to see that they were the first to arrive. After getting their food (They were serving bacon!), they sat down at a table just as the rest of the apprentices began to file in. The once quiet hall began to fill up with loud chatter, laughter and grumbling. Quinn could see people ranging from kids younger than her to young adults looking old enough to be graduating from the academy soon. Quinn could feel curious looks being thrown in her direction as she kept her head down and ate her food, feeling conscious of her street clothes in comparison to the uniforms the others were wearing.

Wishing that she had her hat to shield her from all the stares, she smiled weakly at Brittany, who sensed her nervousness, was patting Quinn's hand to soothe her while explaining the inner workings of the academy. The apprentices here are classified into different areas of expertise: combat, healing, arts, and academics. While each of them will have a main focus, they are expected to have a good understanding of the other areas as well and are encouraged to specialize in more than one area as long as they are doing well in their main focus. As a knight apprentice, Quinn would be specializing in combat. Brittany is specializing in arts as a dancer and in healing as well.

"It's pretty cool really. It's like I have a sixth sense that tells me what's wrong with the person and what sort of stuff would that person's body needs to get better," explained Britt.

A presence approached their table and proceeded to take a seat next to Quinn.

"Hi Britt. Who's the new kid?"

Quinn looked to her left to see a boy smirking at her. Her eyes drifted to the top of his head where he had the most obnoxious hairstyle she had ever seen.

"Quinn, this is Noah Puckerman, knight apprentice. Puck, this is Quinn, she was the one who rescued the princess yesterday!" said Britt happily.

The apprentices sitting near them sat up at what they overheard from Brittany and the news about the newcomer spread quickly throughout the hall.

"Oh so you're the 'Quinn' that Rach was going on and on about. She's been saying some pretty cool stuff about you. I'm Puck, awesome knight in training," said Puck holding his hand out.

"Quinn," Quinn shook his hand.

"So tell me Quinn, is it true that…"

"So _this_ is the kid that rescued the princess? Hah! She probably had help from someone else and decided to take all the credit." An obnoxious voice sounded behind Puck and Quinn.

Brittany looked up and frowned at the 3 boys standing behind them. The leader of the trio stood in the middle with his arms crossed and an arrogant smirk on his face.

Puck turned around in his seat and stood up to face the boys.

"Back off Azimio."

Despite his mohawk, Puck was still shorter than the three older boys and both sides knew who would come out the winner if a scuffle was to break out.

"Aww, wittle Puck Puck has come to the rescue," said Azimio Adams, the leader of the group. The boys burst out laughing as Puck turned red with embarrassment and anger.

Quinn remained seated, her back still facing the boys. She had hoped that ignoring the bully would cause him to give up and go away but Puck was too quick to jump to her defense and she could sense that things were going to go downhill from there. She was taken aback when Brittany stood up from her seat.

"Go away Azimio. Don't be mean"

"What are you going to do about it Pierce? Hit me with your stupidity?"

Quinn watched in horror as Brittany's eyes began to well up with tears. Furious at the treatment of her new friends, she turned around in her seat to face the boys.

"Apologize to Brittany, please," said Quinn quietly, still remaining seated but looking at the boys. The leader was taller than any of them but he wouldn't be the first bully that she had to deal with. She had met many boys and girls on the streets who wanted to establish their dominance over their territory when she first arrived and Santana had taught her how to deal with situations such as this one.

"_There are three ways Lucy Q," said Santana holding up three fingers. "If that person is smart and you meant no harm, try to reason with him or her and strike up a bargain. It doesn't hurt to be on good terms with the leader of that area. However, if that person is stronger than you and you know that you have no chance, get the hell out of there."_

_Quinn nodded. "What's the third way San?"_

_Santana grinned._

"_Listen closely Lucy Q. If that person is a dumbass and you know you have the upper hand, you should use the third way which is personally my favorite-you beat the crap out of that person until he or she understands that you mean business."_

Azimio snorted and swaggered over to Quinn, towering over her.

"Think you own the place just because you claimed to have rescued the princess?" he said and grabbed Quinn by the collar of her shirt with both hands and dragged her up. She was a head shorter than him and yet he managed to lift her by her collar until they were seeing eye-to-eye.

No one moved and the noisy hall had become silent as everyone was watching the scene unfold.

Quinn arched an eyebrow. This idiot was actually trying to physically intimidate her. God knows how many people had tried to do that and failed, miserably.

"No, I don't. Please release me and apologize to Brittany for making her cry," she said calmly even though her feet were dangling inches above the ground.

Azimio laughed in Quinn's face. Quinn wrinkled her nose. _Eww bad breath._

"That girl is probably too stupid to understand what I'm saying," he laughed even more.

Quinn rolled her eyes. Clearly Azimio wasn't smart and she could see that he wasn't that strong as he makes himself out to be. _Third method it is._She sighed and reached out her hand, grabbed the back of Azimio's neck and head-butted him in the face.

Azimio's laughter turned into a howl of pain. He immediately released Quinn and crouched down, groaning and clutching his nose which was already dripping blood onto the ground. His two sidekicks looked around panicked and seeing that no one was coming to their help, bent down and dragged a blubbering Azimio out of the hall. Quinn watched them leave and absentmindedly rubbed her forehead which was slightly pink and stinging from its impact with Azimio's face. Those remaining in the hall were still silent as she seated herself down at the table and continued to nibble on her bacon.

"Damn…" said Puck in amazement and that snapped everyone out of their silence and the hall erupted into chatters as people went over what just happened.

Puck plonked himself down next to Quinn, still staring at her with admiration.

"Damn…" he said again in awe. "That was so badass."

Quinn shot him a smile. "It's no big deal. My friend Santana taught me how to deal with guys like that."

Puck's eyes widened. "Then why isn't she here with you?!"

Quinn shrugged sadly. "I just got lucky getting into this academy."

"Oh." Puck frowned, staring at his hands that were propped on the table. "Okay," he said nodding to himself. "Okay," he repeated facing Quinn again who raised an eyebrow at him.

"The next time we get to go out of the castle, I'm coming with you to meet her. I wanna learn some badass moves from her too."

Quinn choked on her food at the thought of Puck swaggering up to Santana, asking her teach him her 'moves'. She would more likely sit on him and demand for his money before sending him along his way.

Brittany frowned. "You'll be badass when you grow up Puck. Quinn is just more badass now 'cause girls mature faster than boys," she said wisely.

Quinn and Puck paused at that thought. When one looks at it that way…

"Anyways, thanks for standing up for me Quinn," continued Brittany smiling at the blonde who was suddenly aware of all the stares from the apprentices in the hall and was feeling more and more uncomfortable by the second.

"No problem Britt," Quinn looking around uncomfortably. She leaned in and whispered loudly so that Britt and Puck could hear her.

"Can we get out of here?"

Brittany smiled. "Sure! We've gotta get you to your room and get you cleaned up now just in case Azimio reports you to the Commander"

Quinn paled at that statement.

"Although… I highly doubt he would since he got beaten up by a girl," said Brittany thinking aloud and looking towards Puck for confirmation.

Puck nodded. "Azimio would never tell the Commander that he got beaten by a girl and a newbie no less."

Quinn let out a breath of relief and stood up to follow Brittany out of the hall.

"I'll see you guys later!" yelled Puck as he became lost in the crowd of apprentices that converged around him to ask him questions about the blonde newcomer that stood up to Azimio. 

**End of Chapter 4**

**AN: This story is fueled by your reviews which are highly appreciated :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Basics, Boops, and Books**

When Quinn laid in her bed that night, she had trouble falling asleep. She propped her head on her arm and stared at the ceiling. She was sharing one of the apprentice rooms large enough to fit six occupants comfortably with four other girls around her age that was located on castle grounds. Once the apprentices are older, they will live in the barracks in the outer court or inside one of the numerous castle rooms depending on their duty. Quinn looked to her right to see Brittany already fast asleep with Lord Tubbington—a cat and not an actual lord to Quinn's relief—curled up next to her. Brittany had not gone into any details (because it is was a Private class with only a few select students chosen to participate) but apparently Advanced Dancing had been brutal today, with the usual teacher being unavailable and the substitute teacher, a senior apprentice called Cassandra July taking over. Quinn who had missed afternoon lessons to get herself cleaned up and presentable breathed a sigh of relief that the dance class that she would be taking is taught by a different teacher. She fingered her slightly shorter hair that had been trimmed neatly until it was above her shoulders. She sighed and turned on her side, staring at the moonlight streaming in from the window, casting shadows onto the floor. During the night class, she had been set aside by Madame Tibideaux and given a number of written tests on different subjects to gauge her level of knowledge. While she excelled in math and English, her knowledge on history was quite lacking but with extra effort in studying, Madame Tibideaux had no doubt that Quinn would be able catch up with the rest. As her eyes began to droop, Quinn's last thought before succumbing to sleep was about Rachel and when will they meet again.

xoxoxo

"You. Stand over there," ordered Commander Sue pointing first at Quinn and then to the side of the training yard. "The rest of you, choose a partner of similar rank and spread out. We are practicing with swords today. I want to see Pattern 1 and 2 executed perfectly. Anyone who fails will be running extra laps."

Quinn obediently walked to her designated spot, a wooden sword clutched in her hand. She couldn't stop herself from quivering with anticipation. Despite the exhausting run she had this morning with the other apprentices, her excitement at the prospect of learning sword fighting, renewed her vigor and she bounced on the balls of her feet, eager to start her first lesson.

Sue strode over to her. "If you become a master of the basic fundamentals of sword-fighting then the rest of your sword skills will come are different types of swords that you will learn to use and eventually specialize sword is not to be drawn for petty fights.."

Quinn nodded. "Yes commander."

"Very shall begin."

The commander motioned over one of the knights who was observing the training session. Noting the commander's beckoning, the knight came over and Quinn noticed that he was dressed in black from head to toe, from his leather armour to his boots. A black patch covered his left eye and a scar line extended from above his eyebrow and ended at his cheekbone which the eye patch failed to cover. He looked like a man in his late thirties, healthy and strong, yet his hair was already silver grey. Quinn shrunk back when the man loomed over her, his height apparent as he blocked her view of the sun.

"What do we have here Commander?" asked the man in his deep baritone voice.

"An apprentice for you Sir Richard. We need you to whip her up into shape and ensure that she catches up with the rest of her peers," said Sue smirking. The man had been her fiercest and most formidable rival and friend since they were both apprentices and it would have been a close race between them for the commander position but he declined, citing his need to be in the heat of battle and not telling others to do the killing for him.

"Hmmm."

Quinn suddenly felt a pull on the back of her collar and felt herself being lifted up and coming face to face with the silver-haired knight. The knight turned to look at Sue with Quinn still dangling by her collar at his shoulder height like an indignant puppy being held by the scruff of its neck.

"You're giving me this little squeaker to train after so many before have given up after a week?"

Sue chuckled. "Put her down Sir Richard. This is Quinn, the girl who found the Princess yesterday."

The knight promptly let go of Quinn and she landed on her feet albeit a little unsteady from the sudden release.

"So you think that this one has potential?" He asked gruffly looking up and down at Quinn .

"She definitely has more guts than your previous apprentices," said Sue helpfully and walked away to supervise the other apprentices.

Sir Richard snorted. "We shall see once this week is over. Come, pick up your sword and let's see if you can handle the basics."

Quinn followed his orders and they began to work...

"Hold your sword higher. The tip should be at your eye level aimed at your target's throat."

And work...

"Swing, swing, no. Wrong. Do it again. 50 times for each hand."

Quinn gritted her teeth, her arms burning and sweat pouring down her face.

"Posture, girl, posture. You're holding up a sword. Watch your leg and how you move. Forward, forward, lunge. Good. Now go back, back, b... No. Wrong. Repeat the steps again, until it is burned into your subconscious."

And so they continued until Quinn did not even have the strength to grip her wooden sword and it clattered to the ground when she tried to pick it up.

"Alright. Take a break."

Quinn collapsed onto the ground, at first trying to sit up but her arms were shaking too much from exhaustion to prop herself and so she laid on the ground staring at the sky. Sir Richard stood near her, accessing the other apprentices.

"Sir Richard!" A familiar voice squealed.

Quinn found the energy to tilt her head back to see an upside down Rachel running over towards them and throwing herself at Sir Richard who, to Quinn's surprise, was already on one knee, with his arms open to give the princess a big hug.

"Well met princess," said the knight standing up and gazing smilingly down at Rachel. Quinn could see from her vantage point on the ground that the knight was fond of the little princess. However, Rachel's back was facing Quinn and so she had yet to see the apprentice sprawled out on the ground.

"I'm so happy to see you! You must tell me about your latest travels and I have a new song to sing for you." Said Rachel clasping her hands with excitement.

Sir Richard gave a slight bow."Once I am done with my new apprentice, my time is yours princess."

"Your new apprentice? Wh... Quinn!"

By the time Rachel saw her, Quinn had forced herself to sit up. She missed the amused gleam in the knight's eye as he silently noted her flailing attempts to sit up before Rachel saw her.

Rachel crouched down next to her, beaming."Hi."

Quinn grinned. "Hello Tiny."

Rachel pouted at the nickname but then shook her head to focus on the reason why she showed up. Was she glad to see Sir Richard? Of course she was. It just so happened that he was there at the training grounds and she was looking for a good reason to come over, hoping to run into a certain blonde newcomer...

"I hope your first few days have been going well. Has anyone shown you around yet?" asked Rachel eagerly.

"Yeah, Brittany showed me around on my first day," Quinn noticed Rachel's crestfallen face. "But," she added hastily, "I'm pretty sure she hasn't shown me everything."

Rachel's face lit up at that statement. "I could show you around! I can show you all my favorite spots, shortcuts to take..."

Quinn smiled at the princess's eagerness.

"The library..."

Quinn's head shot up at that word being mentioned. "The library?" She asked, unable to hide her glee, hugging her knees to her chest.

Rachel nodded enthusiastically. "Daddy loves to read so our library is well stocked with all kinds of books. It's really cozy too with a fireplace and big comfy chairs and cushions. We could go and see it tonight," said the princess, eager to please the blonde when she saw Quinn's delighted expression.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Tonight? I have a curfew and I'm pretty sure you do too."

Rachel ducked her head closer to Quinn's. "We could sneak out," she whispered, feeling rather bold for suggesting the idea. "Or...you would have to wait until the weekend which is still a long way off."

Quinn wrinkled her nose at that thought. "Okay," she nodded slowly, the lure of numerous books being too great. "Let's do it. Where should we meet?"

Rachel closed her eyes tight trying to envision the route. "The fastest way is by going through the kitchens. Your room is closer to the kitchens than my room. I'll meet you outside your room around midnight. There wouldn't be anyone left in the kitchens or the library by then." Eyes still closed and face screwed in concentration, Rachel continued muttering to herself. "There wouldn't be many guards in that area. Hmmm. Yes, yes this should work."

Quinn couldn't help it but reach out with two fingers hovering near Rachel's face. "Tiny," she called.

Before Rachel could fully open her eyes, Quinn tapped her on the nose and went "Boop!".

Rachel's mouth dropped open as Quinn dissolved into giggles, burying her face into her propped up knees. "You... you just booped my nose!" she spluttered. The sight of the blonde's eyes peeping up at her, sparkling with mirth caused a warm feeling to blossom in her chest and she ended up succumbing to Quinn's giggles.

"Puckerman what in God's name are you doing?!" Sue's voice bellowed across the training ground, interrupting their moment. Quinn and Rachel jerked up their heads and looked over curiously at Commander Sue stalking towards Puck and his partner who had stopped their sparring.

As the commander began to loom over him, Puck began to protest. "I was just trying out a new move that I saw Sir Cooper using when he..."

"It's ten thousand years too early for you to try that Puckerman."

"But I..." protested Puck

"No."

"It's…"

"Another word of protest and you will be assigned to kitchen duty."

Puck paused. "Yes, commander," he said meekly. As Sue walked away to observe the others, he made a face behind her back.

"I saw that Puckerman. Report to the kitchens for lunch and dinner duty after our training is over," ordered Sue, over her shoulder.

Quinn and Rachel giggled as they watched Puck's face fall as his partner patted him on the back with pity.

"Alright, training is over. Get out of here all of you before I choke from the stench of you inadequacy."

The apprentices heaved a sigh of relief and began to clear out.

"That's my cue to leave. I'll see you tonight," whispered Rachel, placing her hand on Quinn's shoulder before getting up to leave. Quinn nodded. "See you later Tiny." Rachel made a face at her as she walked away. "Goodbye Sir Richard," said the princess as she passed by him, giving him a small hug before she left.

Quinn and Sir Richard watched the little princess's retreating back and Quinn got up and dusted herself off as Sir Richard came over to her side.

"Think about what I have taught you today. I expect to see improvement tomorrow."

Quinn nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good." Sir Richard turned to walk away but paused mid step. "You've done well for your first day. Let's hope you survive the week," he said and continued to walk away.

"Ill try my best sir," said Quinn watching the knight as he made his way out. She could sense an air of sadness that cloaked the knight and she wondered what could it be. She did some light stretches and winced at the tightness of her muscles. Her arms are going to be sore tonight.

As soon as he was done, Puck stomped over to Quinn who was now perched on the low fence surrounding the training area. He leaned back against the fence next to Quinn and heaved a long suffering sigh.

"Surely kitchen duty isn't that bad," ventured Quinn looking down at her mohawked friend. She could think of worse punishments involving beatings, starvation and such.

"It's not a man's job to be in the kitchen"

_Smack_

"Ow!" Puck clutched the back of his head, rubbing it while turning to Quinn who had smacked him there.

"What was that for?!"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "If a girl can be a knight , a boy can surely carry out kitchen duties be him Lord or peasant."

Puck pouted. "Aw you're no fun. I liked you better when you were beating up Azimio."

Quinn threw her head back and let out a laugh.

During their chat, a group of apprentices strolled into the training area for Advance Combat. All of them looked bigger and older except for a raven haired girl who looked to be about Quinn and Puck's age.

"Hey," said Quinn, nudging Puck with her knee. "Who's that?"

Puck looked over at where Quinn was indicating. The girl had started some warm ups and stretching on her own.

"Oh that's Alexandra Beaumont, daughter of Roger Beaumont."

Quinn blinked. "Roger Beaumont as in the Duke?"

Puck nodded. As if sensing that the two of them were talking about her, Alexandra Beaumont looked over in their direction. Quinn tried to smile at her but the raven haired girl shot her a look of disdain and turned her face away from them in an obvious show of disgust.

"What crawled up her pants and died?" asked Quinn, raising an eyebrow.

Puck snickered. "It's probably our lowly status polluting her environment. Me, a baron's bastard and you, a street urchin."

Alexandra began to spar with one of the senior apprentices.

"She's good," observed Quinn.

Puck let out a snort. "With _Daddy's_ money, she probably had private combat lessons at a young age. That's why she's ahead of all of us."

"One would think that the Duke would want his daughter to learn more ladylike skills," contemplated Quinn aloud.

"The Duke has no sons, only daughters. Little Alex here is probably trying to fulfill his wish of having a kin be part of the Royal Guard," said Puck as he pushed himself off the fence.

"Time to head over to the kitchens. See ya Quinn."

"Bye" said Quinn waving back at Puck and she hopped off the fence and headed off to clean up.

xoxoxo

That night Quinn snuck out of her room and waited for Rachel. She was thankful for her dark brown woolen cloak that had been provided by the academy as the weather was cold and windy tonight. It was a clear night and the moon was bright enough for her to spot the princess, also wearing a cloak, emerging from the shadows to head over towards her. Quinn went over to meet her halfway.

"Ready?"

"Lead the way Tiny."

Rachel huffed and decided to let the nickname slide just this once. She beckoned for Quinn to follow her.

"We have to head through the kitchens and then cut through the courtyard because it's the fastest way to get to the library without being seen by the night patrol," she explained as she peeped around a corner to check that the coast was clear before continuing on her way.

Quinn followed closely behind her as they ducked and dashed their way towards the kitchens. Once, Rachel had to hold her hand out to stop Quinn from running right into the path of an approaching guard. The princess was familiar with the timing of the guards making their rounds and that familiarity got them safely to the kitchens undetected.

"You've got the key to the kitchens?" asked Quinn curiously as Rachel brandished said key and unlocked the door.

Rachel nodded as she opened the door. "It's much easier to sneak into the Great Hall that way since they are connected."

"Why would you want to do that?" asked Quinn as she followed Rachel into the kitchens. She took the opportunity to look around the huge room. The walls and floor were made of stone and there were a few fireplaces against the walls. Glowing embers from those fireplaces and moonlight streaming in through an open window threw shadows around the room. A giant cauldron sat nearby and a stone oven occupied a corner of the room. Bundles of herbs were hung from the ceiling to dry and Quinn spotted wicked looking kitchen knives laid out on the long table in the middle of the room, their sharp edges glinting in the moonlight.

"The acoustics in the Great Hall are perfect for my singing. It's one of my places to sing out my feelings whenever I feel compelled to. It helps me think."

Quinn perked up when she heard a low moan and thought that it was the wind blowing outside the window.

"Won't the guards hear you?" She asked as they made their way across the kitchen.

"Oh definitely. But there's an unspoken rule between me and them. Night patrol can be immensely boring and my singing keeps them occupied. So as long as they don't intrude, they get to hear a song or two. I swear that some of them had clapped once when I had finished a complicated Barbra number."

As they crossed the fireplace in the center of the kitchen, Quinn heard the moan again and realized that it was actually coming from inside the kitchen and came from a covered mound close to the hearth of the fireplace they just passed by. Rachel had heard it too and she grabbed Quinn's hand as they saw the mound move.

"We should... We should run," whispered Rachel fearfully.

Quinn's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she gripped Rachel's hand tightly and prepared to sprint out off the kitchen. Then the mound moved again and the black cloth covering it shifted a little to reveal a small tanned hand.

Quinn inhaled sharply and ignored Rachel's squeaks of protests as she warily approached the mound and removed the black cloth. A small female form was revealed. Blood and mud stained her clothes and bruises and small cuts were visible on her arms. The girl shifted her head and her black hair fell to the side, exposing more bruises on her face and around her neck. Despite the injuries, Quinn's heart plummeted as she recognized the girl before her.

"San...tana"

**End of Chapter 5**

* * *

**Review Shoutouts**

**unbreakable86, Phoebex13, fridaglee27, elaslb, priscilla20, Emri, polux, logansquare2212, ST31, xxDark Angel Babyxx, Izabella G. D: ** Thank you so much for your continuous reviews for most of, if not every chapter :)

**DarkBlueMint: **You'll definitely like the where the story is going in the next chapter ;)

**EAnIL: **There will definitely be a time skip. It's just taking longer to reach that point than I had expected :D

To everyone who has reviewed so far, thank you and please keep them coming.

xoxo Skye


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